1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to attachments for portable hand tools which facilitate the handling of the tool and is more particularly concerned with an improved apparatus for supporting the hand tool which is versatile and easy to attach when converting the tool to other uses.
2. Description of the Invention
Portable hand tools are generally designed for a particular use. For example, a portable drill is designed for boring holes into wood, metal, or other materials. Because of the similarities of the structure and operation of many hand tools, a portable drill may come equipped with a bit fitted with a sanding pad to allow the drill to be used as a sander. However, in converting a power drill to a sander, a problem occurs in trying to hold the drill while performing the sanding operation. The sanding pad has substantially greater surface area which creates substantial friction with the work surface. This friction creates a greater amount of torque on the drill housing than when the drill is used to bore holes. Because of the handle design of the drill, this greater torque may jerk the drill from the user's grasp. Furthermore, it is difficult to maintain constant pressure on the entire surface of the sanding pad to achieve a constant sanding pattern on the work surface.
Some previous efforts have been made to provide attachments for portable power-driven tools or machines to facilitate the handling, control, and positioning of the tool when converted from its conventional use to another use. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,882,705 discloses a support or handle for portable power-driven tools or machines which are designed for rubbing, polishing, sanding, and the like. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,162,221 and 3,762,452 disclose attachments for converting a portable power-driven drill for use as a router.